December Newsletter

Birthdays and Anniversaries!

New to the UOG Crew!

Please join us in welcoming our new UOG Employees! Welcome to the family, everyone!!

employee photoShawntel Tabron Medical Assistant – Main
employee photoAnnabelle White Front Desk – Main
employee photoJerlynne Whitaker Medical Assistant – Main
employee photoNatali Castillo Ultrasound Tech – Decatur
employee photoMaria Garcia Front Desk – Moultrie
employee photoTabitha CollinsMammo Tech – PRN
employee photoDeidra Printup, NP Covington – Floater
employee photoCarman Cook Front Desk – TWC
employee photoSelena Wright, RNRN – WCAS Main
employee photoZoey Brill Runner- Main

Congratulations Corner!

Please join us in congratulating these two amazing employees on their new roles in the company!

Kayla King is our new Insurance Department Manager and Tiffany Welch is our new Patient Care Coordinator in our Mammogram Department!

Congratulations, ladies! We can’t wait to see you excel in your new roles!!

Holly the UOG Elf!

Some of you may have seen this mischievous little elf sneaking around Main throughout the month of December! “Holly” the UOG Elf made her debut appearance the second week of December and during her time here, she visited our Glammo Mammo Suite, our WCAS OR room, the Diet Center and even our exam rooms!

She did cause a little bit of mischief while doing her exploring of our different departments here at Main, but she also kept our patients informed about how important is it for them to put themselves first and schedule their mammograms and yearly exams.

We can’t wait to see what Holly will get in to next Christmas!

2023 UOG Christmas Party!

What a wonderful time we had at our 2023 UOG Christmas Party that was held on Friday, December 1st!

The theme, ad you all know, was “Back to the 80’s” and y’all’s outfits did not disappoint! There was big hair, bright makeup, shoulder pads and lots and lots of neon!

We are so grateful for all of y’all, our employees, and your hard work throughout the year and celebrating them with y’all at our annual Christmas party is always such a treat! Thank you so much for all that you guys do!

Thank you so much, Melisa Newell, for doing such an outstanding job planning and organizing this incredible event year after year! Thank you so much to everyone who helped behind the scenes to help make this event come together! And lastly, we’d LOVE to thank our amazing Dr. Drew and Dr. Kaylar Howard for all that they do for our employees and our patients! Here’s just a few photos from the event!

HooHoo Sister’s Night Out!

When we say that we had such a great time at our first ever Northern Office HooHoo Night, we had a BALL!!

Our Athens, Lawrenceville and Covington offices all got together and had the best time playing Reindeer Games which included the super competitive Cup Game, the cute little Left Right Envelope Game, the Reindeer Antler Game and The Dance Telephone game! We ate yummy food from Publix, we laughed, we danced, we played games, we won prizes, we enjoyed each other’s company and most importantly, we celebrated more of our incredible employees!

You guys are the reasons why we do these HooHoo Nights! To show our gratitude and appreciation for all you do!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our first ever Northern HooHoo Night! Thank you all so much for all that you guys do daily! We love each and every one of you!

Monthly Recipe!

CRISPY OVEN BAKED POTATO BITES

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 – 2 lbs new potatoes, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes and boil 8 minutes.
  3. Drain potatoes into a colander.
  4. Melt butter and olive oil in the cooking pot. Pour drained potatoes back into pot. Add garlic salt and pepper. Stir until the potatoes are coated.
  5. Place potatoes skin side up on parchment lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until perfectly crispy.

New Year’s Resolutions

As we step into the dawn of another year, we find ourselves at the crossroads of reflection and anticipation. New Year’s resolutions, a time-honored tradition, beckon us to aspire for growth, transformation, and positive change. At The Howard Center, we are not just observers of this tradition; we are enthusiastic participants, setting the bar high for ourselves and our staff.

This year, we challenge each and every one of our dedicated staff members to embrace the spirit of resolutions. The road to change may be challenging, but it is within these challenges that we discover our true potential. As a united team, let’s commit to personal and professional goals that align with our mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients!

As part of our commitment to making a difference, we’ve set a bold objective: “How many lives will you save this year?” This question serves as a powerful reminder of the impact our work can have on individuals and families. By improving our practices, refining our skills, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, we can collectively contribute to saving lives and making a lasting impact.

As we embark on this journey of growth and transformation, let’s remember that we are not alone. We are a team, a family, working towards a common goal. Together, we can overcome challenges, support one another, and emerge victorious.

Here’s to a year of positive change, impactful resolutions, and saving lives! We love and appreciate every one that makes up our incredible UOG Family, thank you so much for ALL that you all do daily!

Mark Your Calendars!

The next HooHoo Sister Night will be held here at Main on Tuesday, February 13th from 05:30pm – 07:30pm!

Waycross, Douglas, Albany and Moultrie…get ready! Your HooHoo Nights are coming soon!!

December Employee Excellence Award Winners and Shining Star!

Front Desk: Emily FlowersEmily has blown this month out of the water. She Has not complained one time when asked to do something. She jumps in ready to work and help anyway she is able. She has trained and stayed late when needed. She shows up to work early to ensure that her day goes smoothly. We are blessed to have her on our team! Thank you Emily for everything you do.
Ultrasound: Brittany AppersonBrittany has been especially helpful this past month by helping us at our main office. Your willingness to work on your off day is very much appreciated. Brittany wears many hats. She is our ultrasound tech and MA at our Moultrie office. Brittany is a highly dependable employee. I can always count on her to help wherever she is needed. Thank you for being dedicated to The Howard Center and for caring for our patients the way you do!

Provider : Kala Hodges, NPCongratulations to Kala Hodges, NP, for winning the Provider Excellence Award for December! Kala is the Waycross Nurse Practitioner, during her short time there, she has excelled in her performance! Reading patient reviews about Kala, always puts a smile on our faces! She is changing lives and taking care of our Waycross ladies! Thank you for being a part of our UOG Family, Kala!
OB Department: Shala WynnShala, thank you so much for your hard work and dedication. Shala has been the perfect example of a true team player this last month. She has been staying late, coming in early, ANYTHING she possibly can do to help OB be a better place. Thank you for being so dependable. You are amazing!!!
Surgery Coordinator: Chasitie RobertsChasitie Roberts- Chasitie is our triage nurse. I have been so thankful for her for how she goes above and beyond for our NPs and patients. Chasitie is not a surgery coordinator but I am giving this to her without hesitation because she has gone above and beyond checking schedules and getting Mammogram appointments ready for our patients. She took this roll and ran with it. She showed excitement and compassion for our new Mammo Department. She stayed late until she got this right. We are so appreciative of Chasitie and blessed to have you with our UOG Family.
Marketing : Jessica CowartFrom start to finish, Jessica, your initiative exceeded all expectations. You are always willing to help wherever and whenever. From training new employees, to filling in at the front desk, MA and now handling our sweet patients for their Mammograms. Jessica, you are always putting patients first and making their visits special. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to our UOG team!
Manager : Jennifer GoodeJennifer Goode is the manager of the month for December! This past month, Jennifer has been a fantastic team member. In addition to managing the practice, she filled in for Melisa during her maternity leave. Without her, we would not have survived the month of December. She is a great asset to our office and is always willing to assist out when needed. I personally am very grateful to have her as part of our work family!
Nursing : Kelee Smith Kelee has excelled this month as being a Main provider Nurse. She has learned to multi-task, she has been drawing additional labs for patients and keeping surgery charts updated, all while keeping a smile on her face and providing the best patient experience possible. She has shown kindness to her co-workers and patients. Everyone she comes across is so blessed to work with her, she spreads joy to everyone with a warm smile. Kelee has really stepped up to the plate this month! We appreciate your hard work!
Insurance : Lisa GriffinLisa is not only a long time dedicated Howard Center employee, but she is someone I can come to for any coding or charge questions. Lisa knows diagnostic codes off the top of her head. I don’t know how she remembers them all! She’s helped so much with newer employee’s questions! We definitely appreciate everything Lisa does in the Insurance department! We can count on her to be here every day no matter what!! She even came in during the last hurricane!
WCAS : Elena Elizabeth BonillaMrs. Elizabeth is the employee who comes up with a solution whenever a problem arises. No matter what the situation is, whether a piece of equipment malfunctions at a crucial time or something we need is on backorder she finds a way to make things work !! This month at the last minute we needed to run the second operating room. Not only was Mrs. Liz crucial at getting the room ready but also volunteered to be the scrub tech for that day! We literally would not have been able to do those cases that day without her. She saved our patients crazy long wait times and kept our staff from having to work long hours! I don’t know what any of us would do without her!!!
TWC: Brandy CastanonBrandy is smart, sweet, and quick on her feet! She is the first person our patient to sees when they come in and is always helpful no matter what the issue. She is quick to help her fellow coworkers up front and never hesitates to contact a patient or doctors office for the providers. Thank you Brandy for all of your hard work!
Photo of shining star winner

Tiffany Welch
Patient Care Coordinator – Mammogram Department
$250.00 and a trophy!!

Over the last two months, Tiffany has assumed leadership of our mammography department. Tiffany had no prior understanding of mammograms or any of the medical terminology just eight weeks ago. She has put in a lot of hours and has quickly learned all of this. She also had to become familiar with brand-new software in order to submit the mammograms. As if that weren’t enough, in order for us to begin the trial for our new Koning she had to master a completely different new program. I am astonished at how well she has done with so much change in such a short period of time. There is nobody else more deserving of being the Shining Star for December.